Best Tapas

Casa Vicente

Staff Pick

Tucson occasionally, and usually temporarily, has entertained an eatery dedicated to the Andalucian gastronomical heaven called tapas, but there's never been one as delightful as the relatively new Casa Vicente--named for owner and Spanish expat Vicente Sanchez. Tapas are appetizers, small dishes from which can be built a complete meal, often shared family-style; the Spaniards eat in this manner in most pubs--when they're not on the high seas suffering from scurvy, that is. One of the staples is the tortilla Española, an amazing egg-and-potato frittata like no tortilla eaten by a cactushead in the Sonoran Desert, and you can get a version with spinach as well. Croquetas, shrimp dishes, jamon y queso--the list goes on. Try a robust Spanish red wine with your meal.